"The Darkling Thrush" by Thomas Hardy (poetry reading)

The Song Thrush has almost disappeared from country and gardens in England. In Hardy's time it would have been quite common.

Thomas Hardy's statue is in Dorchester, outside the public library.

I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter's dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.

The land's sharp features seemed to be
The Century's corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• DarklingThrush
• Thomas
• Hardy
• poetry
• poem

[frostythesasquatch]

Your readings seem to be very divisive. I don't think I've seen one with either an approval or disapproval rating over 60%.

[SpokenVerse]

@frostythesasquatch Every one of the 39 dislikes on this poem were made by the same disgruntled lad who is the original of 98% of dislikes on all my videos. Out of the past 30 days he has been active for 17 of them, disliking an average of 66 poems per day. His best effort was 635 dislikes on 28th July.

[louisalit]

Beautiful!

[paulpellicci]

...i don't know why i react as i do...tears...i'm a tough guy....

[thissong4you]

I love Thomas Hardy, and this poem, and your reading of it, and the photograph, and.....

"An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,

In blast-beruffled plume,

Had chosen thus to fling his soul

Upon the growing gloom."

What splendid, splendid words. Thank you.

[v95saman]

Thank you ever so much for reading this poem. I had not heard it before and it truly moved me. Bless you.

[Gesmehod]

I've always loved this poem.

[paulpellicci]

...sweet....